I am finally building my first custom desktop system. My previous two personal computers have been laptops with discrete graphics. The first was a 14- or 15-inch (Core 2 Duo?) Lenovo Thinkpad with NVS gpu, the second (and current) is a 17-inch FHD IVB i7 QM built by iBuyPower using a MSI chassis with a GT675M gpu.
The first had the discrete graphics go bad (no signal to the screen, but aux video output still seemed to work, otherwise it would still power up). The second recently has shown signs of graphics instability (reboots, crashes) which I am hopeful that I can remedy by a good cleaning of the heatsink and/or restoring a known good disk image.
In both cases, I spent a significant amount of money (~$1750 each) for systems which were portable but had limited upgradeable parts - memory and mass storage. Should a critical component fail, I would be the proud owner of an expensive doorstop.
So when I was looking around for ideas for my desktop, I stumbled upon the DAN A4 project. After what seemed an eternity, I gritted my teeth (on the "sticker shock") and spent the better part of $300 to back the A4. After another eternity, I finally received my silver A4 case yesterday.
As others have already commented, it's unbelievably lightweight.
I am considering having some custom vinyl cut to decorate the front panel of the case, but haven't really decided what to do. I'll update if/when it happens.
Obligatory parts list:
Dan A4-SFX case, silver
MSI H270i Gaming Pro motherboard
Intel i5-7500 cpu
Crorig C7 cooler
EVGA GTX 1060 SSC 6GB gpu
G.Skill NT-series DDR4 ram, 2x8GB, 2400MHz
Corsair SF450 psu
Other parts bought for this build:
Dell U2415 monitor
Dell AC511 soundbar
Anker 4-port Aluminum USB 3.0 Hub
Rationale for parts selection:
The Dan A4 (silver) was selected because it was, at the time, the smallest case to be had. I chose silver because I thought that the black version would show dust and fingerprints too easily.
The Intel i5-7500 was selected due to it being the latest revision of the Intel core CPU, and arguably the best value of the Kaby Lake CPUs. If Ryzen-compatible mITX motherboards had been available when the case arrived and Ryzen 5 CPUs had been released, I might have gone that way. Maybe not.
I went with the H270i for a couple of reasons: I like the idea of the debug LEDs on the board, the placement of some of the components also seems better than some of the other options on the market at this time, and although I was willing to consider a Z270 board for additional bling and features, I didn't see a compelling reason to do so.
A couple of asides:
Hey, motherboard manufacturers: would it kill your marketing people to list what comes in the box?!
Hey, @ASRock System, please tell your design people that sticking with older audio codecs was a significant reason I didn't go AsRock this time. As much as I admire the ideas behind your products, how you execute your vision matters, and it's not all always about the cost.
I went with the Cryorig cooler as it doesn't seem to have the potential conflicts that the Silverstone AR-05 might have with the heatpipes on that particular cooler. I will update if i find an incompatibility with this board.
I went with this GPU because of the multiple mDP ports for going multi-monitor in the future. I would prefer no DVI. I also wanted dual fans on the theory that the fans might be able to spin quieter than a single-fan model. I also think that the orientation of the fins on the heatsink will be advantageous in this case. I went 1060 because I wanted all the eye candy at FHD.
I selected the G.Skill RAM as it is made with SK Hynix chips, which have shown a resistance to rowhammer problems, and because there is no heatspreader to cause fitment issues. Plus I think heatspreaders on memory are kind of silly. (I reserve the right to change my mind.) Finally, since the system supports 2400 MHz memory, it would be silly not to use it as there is no significant price premium over 2133MHz DR4.
I am a bit on the fence with the PSU. The fan is semi-passive, which could be a problem in this case, as the PSU cannot be relied on to assist with ventilating the case. I will report back if there is an issue with this.
The monitor is rated the best monitor value by www.wirecutter.com. I found their argument compelling.
The soundbar is so I can have a monitor-mounted speaker. I'm not an audiophile, so it's good enough.
The USB hub is for connecting (among other items) my wired gamepads, and I'm planning on attaching it with velcro strips perhaps to one side of my case.
I will be posting photos of the assembly process.
Edited to correct typos. Corrected "Haswell" to "IVB".
The first had the discrete graphics go bad (no signal to the screen, but aux video output still seemed to work, otherwise it would still power up). The second recently has shown signs of graphics instability (reboots, crashes) which I am hopeful that I can remedy by a good cleaning of the heatsink and/or restoring a known good disk image.
In both cases, I spent a significant amount of money (~$1750 each) for systems which were portable but had limited upgradeable parts - memory and mass storage. Should a critical component fail, I would be the proud owner of an expensive doorstop.
So when I was looking around for ideas for my desktop, I stumbled upon the DAN A4 project. After what seemed an eternity, I gritted my teeth (on the "sticker shock") and spent the better part of $300 to back the A4. After another eternity, I finally received my silver A4 case yesterday.
As others have already commented, it's unbelievably lightweight.
I am considering having some custom vinyl cut to decorate the front panel of the case, but haven't really decided what to do. I'll update if/when it happens.
Obligatory parts list:
Dan A4-SFX case, silver
MSI H270i Gaming Pro motherboard
Intel i5-7500 cpu
Crorig C7 cooler
EVGA GTX 1060 SSC 6GB gpu
G.Skill NT-series DDR4 ram, 2x8GB, 2400MHz
Corsair SF450 psu
Other parts bought for this build:
Dell U2415 monitor
Dell AC511 soundbar
Anker 4-port Aluminum USB 3.0 Hub
Rationale for parts selection:
The Dan A4 (silver) was selected because it was, at the time, the smallest case to be had. I chose silver because I thought that the black version would show dust and fingerprints too easily.
The Intel i5-7500 was selected due to it being the latest revision of the Intel core CPU, and arguably the best value of the Kaby Lake CPUs. If Ryzen-compatible mITX motherboards had been available when the case arrived and Ryzen 5 CPUs had been released, I might have gone that way. Maybe not.
I went with the H270i for a couple of reasons: I like the idea of the debug LEDs on the board, the placement of some of the components also seems better than some of the other options on the market at this time, and although I was willing to consider a Z270 board for additional bling and features, I didn't see a compelling reason to do so.
A couple of asides:
Hey, motherboard manufacturers: would it kill your marketing people to list what comes in the box?!
Hey, @ASRock System, please tell your design people that sticking with older audio codecs was a significant reason I didn't go AsRock this time. As much as I admire the ideas behind your products, how you execute your vision matters, and it's not all always about the cost.
I went with the Cryorig cooler as it doesn't seem to have the potential conflicts that the Silverstone AR-05 might have with the heatpipes on that particular cooler. I will update if i find an incompatibility with this board.
I went with this GPU because of the multiple mDP ports for going multi-monitor in the future. I would prefer no DVI. I also wanted dual fans on the theory that the fans might be able to spin quieter than a single-fan model. I also think that the orientation of the fins on the heatsink will be advantageous in this case. I went 1060 because I wanted all the eye candy at FHD.
I selected the G.Skill RAM as it is made with SK Hynix chips, which have shown a resistance to rowhammer problems, and because there is no heatspreader to cause fitment issues. Plus I think heatspreaders on memory are kind of silly. (I reserve the right to change my mind.) Finally, since the system supports 2400 MHz memory, it would be silly not to use it as there is no significant price premium over 2133MHz DR4.
I am a bit on the fence with the PSU. The fan is semi-passive, which could be a problem in this case, as the PSU cannot be relied on to assist with ventilating the case. I will report back if there is an issue with this.
The monitor is rated the best monitor value by www.wirecutter.com. I found their argument compelling.
The soundbar is so I can have a monitor-mounted speaker. I'm not an audiophile, so it's good enough.
The USB hub is for connecting (among other items) my wired gamepads, and I'm planning on attaching it with velcro strips perhaps to one side of my case.
I will be posting photos of the assembly process.
Edited to correct typos. Corrected "Haswell" to "IVB".
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